A light SE with patchy cloud cover. Limited coverage today and limited birding but a lot of chatting! As a result not too many birds recorded with a male Redstart in the Paddock being the highlight. Whitethroat numbers had increased sharply with 34 recorded in the Paddock and Freedown. Five Willow Warblers were the only other birds of note. Earlier Richard had a Whimbrel over the golf course when on dog duties.
Brendan, Jack and John Cantelo
Three posts in three days? It must be autumn.
A light north easterly wind with clear skies made birding quite pleasant this morning. Two Grasshopper Warblers flushed from just beyond Hope Point and the other from the clifftop were the highlight supported by four Reed Warblers. Willow Warblers were thinly scattered across the area with at least nine counted along with a very scruffy adult Chiffchaff. The latter was presumably a local breeding bird. On the sylvia front there were 21 Whitethroats, 11 lesser Whitethroats and six Blackcaps. These were presumably local birds although migrants must pass through.
A good wader count included single Dunlin, Whimbrel and Curlew along with 8 Oystercatchers. Two Clouded Yellows were recorded.
Grey Partridge have bred successfully with a pair on the clifftop with one flying juvenile.
Brendan
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| Reed Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Chiffchaff |
Day 2 of the autumn campaign provided us with 10 Willow Warblers, 2 very juvenile Wheatears, a Redstart, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Clouded Yellow. 80 Swifts moved through first thing.
Brendan, Jack, Nige & Richard
A venture out this morning produced a handful of migrants with 5 Reed Warblers, 5 Willow Warblers, 1 Sedge Warbler and 1 Grey Heron causing havoc amongst the gulls. Also plenty of Six-spot Burnets and several Painted Lady butterflies. The autumn has started...
Nige, Jack & Richard
12th June 2021
Phil and I stood at the viz mig site from 07.00-10.00 and had very little apart from c.300 starlings in six flocks come in off the sea, (unfortunately no Rose Coloured),There were three Hobbys hunting across the big field and two Ravens sitting on the fence. Many butterflies today, mainly Common, Small and Adonis Blues and an unusual one, for us that is, a Dingy Skipper.
Later in the afternoon Nigel had a Honey Buzzard over Kingsdown.
Nigel and I were out early covering the Undercliffe to The Monument with a very light westerly. As is fairly typical in recent years at this time Red Kites filled the skies above Kingsdown. We managed to count 42, there were probably more as they were never close and at times widely dispersed. Otherwise fairly quiet. A Shelduck and Shag flew past out to sea, there were 10 Swifts and a Black Redstart.
The first Small Blues and Adonis Blues were along the cliff top and Nigel picked out a male and female Red-veined Darter on Kingsdown Leas.
A passage of 82 Swifts, a Black Redstart and White Wagtail at Hope Point, 45 Common Scoter went through and 3 Red kites were over Kingsdown and then headed off towards Ringwould. Jack, Phil, Brendan and Richard
Until Richard Bonser and Jamie Partridge picked up a Black Stork at St. Margaret's going out to sea and quickly got the news out. Phil and Jack managed to get on it at The Monument and I watched it from Kingsdown. Fantastic! This is the second record for the area, the first being 17 years ago on 19th September. Jack didn't see that first one, he was suitably impressed this time around! Earlier there was a Marsh Harrier and we also had 10 Red Kites over Kingsdown.
Video by Phil Chantler.
Still a few Goldcrests (14) around this morning plus single Blackcap and Chiffchaff. Otherwise fairly quiet with two Stonechats and two Corn Buntings on the clifftop. A few finches including 135 Goldfinches and two Bramblings moving south overhead along with a few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. Off shore, two Shags. Its getting a bit of a struggle.
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| Goldcrest |
First day of the autumn when no warblers were recorded, which was disappointing given that there had clearly been an influx of Goldcrests (77) plus a single Firecrest. The only other birds of note seen today were 10 late Swallows and a single House Martin hawking over the Droveway in the early afternoon.
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| Kestrel, Kingsdown Leas |
After several days of persistent and strong SW winds it was nice to be back out in more benign conditions with a light NW and sunshine.. Not a lot of overhead activity although Chaffinches (65) and Skylarks (48) were arriving in-off throughout the morning. Elsewhere highlights included Little Egret, Short-eared Owl, five Swallows, two Stonechats, single Ring Ouzel and Firecrest plus three Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps and three Goldcrests. Two singing Corn Buntings had returned to the clifftop having been absent for most of the autumn.
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Firecrest |
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| Jay |
